Quick construction process, forgiving fabric to sew with, great design details—what’s not to love about Style Arc’s Marni Ponti Jacket! Have you tried making your own version yet?
I am a sucker for peplums because I think they cover a multitude of sins, PLUS they are pretty and feminine. They were still all over the runway in this spring’s fashion shows, as well as still appearing in some of the Big Four pattern designs. A little flouncy in the back, two topstitched pleats in the front, and you have a jazzy little peplum most would love wearing. The 3/4 sleeves on this light jacket are my “sleeve length de rigueur”. (Pretty much as soon as I became a mother I dumped long sleeves for 3/4 length; it really reduced the number of garments coated with spaghetti sauce, amiright?) Details, ladies, it is all in the details, and I love pretty much all of them on this jacket.
I made my Marni from a fairly lightweight inky navy ponte in my stash. In retrospect I wish it had a touch more body, but I will wear it for a while and see how I like it. Although it is called a jacket, in a lighter weight fabric it is almost a cardigan. Oh, and the only fitting adjustment I made was to petite the upper body by 3/8 of an inch. Easy peasy.
The back is very simple, tho I do love the cuff turnback. Just right for showing off some of my silver bracelets!
The pattern specified a large hook and eye closure, and as you can see in the pattern cover, it is styled with a belt. Well, I know me, and while a belt probably WOULD look great on this jacket, a single good-looking button simplifies both dressing and wearing. I really hate adjusting and fiddling with clothes on my body; I prefer the “throw on and go” approach. Besides, this button is PURRR-fect. No buttonhole, just a single button for another finishing detail, and a hook and eye closure underneath.
Now let’s take a peek inside. You can see I stitched the entire jacket on my sewing machine—no serging. It just felt like too much thread for the design + fabric. I am pretty sure my stitch width was set to 1.0 and length to 3.0 (or maybe 3.5). The topstitching on the front princess seam + peplum pleat holds those seam allowances where they belong, and I did a blind catch stitch on the hem and all the way up the front facing to hold those edges in place. Remember, soft knits want to slide around, so I am much happier now with the roll of the shawl collar all the way down the front of the jacket. It just took a little fabric-bossing to get everyone in line. Oh, and a little seam binding up top to stay the shoulders, and that’s about it, folks. This is a case where Style Arc DOES = EASY.
Just a little teaser….there IS more on the way for this ensemble. If I could only get a little more time under the sewing machine!
Happy sewing!
Maris